Tempting Fate
by Incanto-Charms
Summary: A legend lost through time one in which holds the secrets of a young woman's past, present, and future has been found inside of a rather ancient book of fairytales, none the less. Now it is up to her, whether or not to accept her fate, or to drown in a so
1. Chapter 1

"Oh shit; not again!" You yell to yourself, while running down the stairs of your apartment; luggage in hand. This was the second and last time that you were going to miss youur flight. It was a week ago that you had been accepted to go abroad, as sort of an exchange student in another country. To you it seemed as though, this would be he perfect opportunity to get away, and explore a new city. Even if it were only for a year; it was surely something that would open your eyes up to the world around.

Coming from Italy and going to Japan was quite the transaction for you. Never before had you went such a far distance, to another place. But to you, this seemed to be worth it. Just knowing that this year couldd be the start of either something great, or terrible made you tremble in delight.

These thoughts seemed to cloud your mind as you boarded your flight; so much anticipation flowing through your veins. So you seemingly did not take notice that you had found your way onto the seat that you had took, nor the person whom sat next to you.

"Excuse me miss, but could you do me a favor?" A voice seemed to come from no where; pulling you out of your dream world.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What was it that you wanted?" You gave a smile to the women who had stood in front of your form with her daughter, or so you presumed to be; by her side.

She gave you a small smile, which seemed that she was a bit worried about someone or something. "My daughter here is on her way to Japan to see her father, and it seems that I have been plagued with some very important business to attend to. So I was wondering. . . ."

"Sure, I would be glad to watch her during this flight."

She gave a sigh, seeming to release her worry. "Thank you so very much. If there is any way in which I might be able to repay you, just call me." She gave you a single card with an address and phone number in the center. You knew that this had to be the address of her company and cell number, fore the number was not that of any within the city limits.

As you took another glance at the child, it seemed that she would be around the age of six or seven; maybe even eight. Her face showed that of worry and hazel eyes full of fright. It was obvious that she had never actually been by herself on a plane, let alone, with out her parents.

"Alright now Alyssa, it's time for me to leave now honey. Take good care of yourself, and try not to be a nusense to this young woman. I will see you as soon as I am done with business." The smile on her face seemed to quickly fade as the last sentence was said. It was strange as to how someone could be sad about seeing their child as soon as they were done with there business. Many people would be grateful and happy, or at leat most would have been. But it seemed that this women was not; like there was something troubling her thoughts. But maybe you were wrong, maybe she was just worried that her business; whatever it maybe, would take longer than she anticipated. What ever it might be that was troubling her left as she did when she found her way off the plane.

As soon as she was out of sight, you turned your gaze back towards the child whom had taken the initiative to stand in the isles, in the same spot that she stood with her mother. Her hazel eyes were staring at you with hesitation as she switched her weight onto the other leg.

"You don't have to be afraid; I wont bite." you spoke while smiling. The little girl only nodded while took a seat next to you, but keeping her eyes on you as if she were fascinated with something about you.

"I can understand why your staring at me; I mean I would stare at me if I had never met myself before as well. But could you tell me bwhy/b you keep glancing at me and then at you backpack?"

"Sorry." She audiated just above a whisper.

"You don't have to be sorry; I just wanted to know why you were staring. You can keep doing it, it will not kill me; annoy, yes but kill, no." You raise an eyebrow at the kid.

" Well, it's just that you look like a lady in my book." A smile began to crept across her face in a cute way, which couldn't help but make you smile back.

"Can I see?"

She simply nodded while opening a compartment in her bookbag. It took a few seconds before she was able to finally find what it was that she was looking for. As soon as it was found, she began to pull it out, revealing a large ebony book with many intricate designs lingering on the cover. It appeared to be a very old book; the leather had begun to peel on the sides. In fact; the thing looked very ancient, like it was around for many years to come. As you observed the overly large book, you noticed the words carved into the center of the book; it read **'FairyTales and Legend'**."

_'So I look like a character in a fairytale book; well that's new.'_

"There!" She points to the image of a women dressed in a cream coloured tunic; leaves and tribal like images lined the bottom of the linen. The woman's hair seemed to be blowing in the wind as she stood on a lonesome rock, facing the rolling tides. The woman was a Siren; half female, half bird. You continued to stare at the image of the young woman, while reading the passage on the other page of the book. It took a good five minutes to read the fairytale, legend, or whatever it was. But even though you were done reading, there was one line or phrase that continued to play over and over again in your mind.

_'She sings a song full of passion and content. A song that leads the approaching sailors to their death. One by one, they are lured; one by one, they drown or fall from thy cliffs. . . .'_


	2. Chapter 2

Without much knowledge of the story nor the words that were written with in the legend, you had begun to compose a song that you thought would seemingly go with the story. It was strange really, how one could come up with a tune so unique and distinctive as this, and be able to feel the passion that would have lingered in a fairytale. As you continued to hum to this little tune; you had not become aware of the little girl asleep with her head against your lap. It seemed that your song had put the girl to sleep within a matter of seconds. It had seemed to amuse you quite a bit. At first, the girl had been a bit frightened of your appearance, then she began to open up to you as she came to the conclusion that you looked like a character from a fairytale book. And now of all things; she had fallen asleep to a song that you had created without hesitation, nor a thought in mind.

Looking down at her sleeping figure reminded you of yourself, or the self that you seemingly remember. After all these years, well all sixteen of them; you had begun to forget what it was like to be a child or rather, your own childhood. It did not seem to affect you that much, actually you seemed to care less, for, you knew that it was just a phase; everyone loses a memory or two from their past. This little girl had reminded you of yourself when you were younger. A bit naive, innocent, frightened when it came to strangers, and shy. But all-in-all, a good kid. And even the fairytales in which she showed you, brought back memories of you and your mother sitting on the porch during the sunset; her reading to you the legends of the land. No one could tell them to you the same as she did. It was as if she were back with in that time range and experiencing the memories and smells of the battles, walks, and love. In some aspects, it was strange; but in others, it was good. You had almost forgotten the legends in which held purpose in your life; that is until this child showed you memories of your childhood. Staring down at the child had made you think of your life now. You have started a wonderful new job and persued a career that you have always wanted since the time you hit the begining of your teen years; a photographer. Everything was great for you. There was nothing in this world that you would would trade your life for; nothing. . . .

"I have everything that I could possibly want right now, but yet, I feel as though there is something missing. . ." You ponder at this thought for a while until it hit you as you turned to look outside at the clouds all around. "Now I know. My life is seemingly a perfection of some sort, but now I finally remember what it is that seems to be missing; this new opportunity. To have a new start and a new take on life is something that I have always wanted. My life may seem like perfection in itself, but this is the one thing that I have waited for since I began school; to explore a new land."

While thinking of this, you had nearly forgot about the papers that your counselor had gave to you two weeks ago, emplying that you were to have a mentor to guide you around your new school for you time being, at the university. You had not been given a name yet, nor an image of the person. But what you were handed was a single sheet of paper, giving you the addresses of a few hotels and apartments that you may reside in, and a guide in the city. It really did puzzle you as you read the word _guide>/i> in the sentence. You had thought that he had made a mistake in putting __guide_ instead of map, but he told you that it was not. So instead of questioning it an further, you shrugged and decided to go along with it.

So much thinking had begun to add to the fatigue in which you had begun to feel minutes before. Though you had wanted to stay awake until you finally reached your destination; your efforts were in vain. Upon getting a more comfortable spot in the seat that you were in, you rapidly began to fall asleep; after all, it was 1:00 am.

Hours later, you had awoke to the sound of people talking and gather many items. At first, you had only thought that who ever it was that was moving, was trying to find something out of a bag or something along those lines. But when you had opened your eyes, you realized that people were gathering their things and leaving the plane.

"Umm. . .did I miss something?" you ask to no one in particular.

"Yeah, were in Japan already." you hear a bubbly voice beside you.

You turn to face the little girl whom was just recently lying on you lap not to long ago; an eyebrow raised. "So you mean to tell me that we finally arrived here, and just decided to leave me here to wake my own self up?"

"Since you were sleep, I didn't want to wake you." She give you an innocent look, but you could tell by the sparkle in her eyes, that she was lying a bit.

"You were going to leave me here, weren't you Alyssa?" Your eyes narrowing at her.

"Maybe. . ." An overly large grin had crossed her face as the words came out of her mouth.

You sigh at this, knowing that if you were to argue with the child, that you might not win. "So, since we are here, how about we gather our things and ditch this place and then maybe find your father."

"Yeah!"

As soon as the two of you gather your things, you leave the plane and begin the journey to find your way around this new place.


	3. Chapter 3

Making your way off of the plane; you enter a whole new world filled with new people and new voices. Everything was no where near, what you had thought about this country. It was more than what you could have imagined. The look and feel of this place was so invigorating; that you could not help but to smile. You were now, more than excited that you had took this opportunity to study here for the time being.

"So Alyssa, do you know when it is that your father will arrive to pick you up?"

"No. All I know is that he was supposed to be here when I came." her voice was a bit at ease, but yet worried.

_'I wonder where her father might be?'_

Your thoughts were soon interupted by the sound of a man calling.

"Hey kid, there you are. I've been waiting for like an hour for you to get here!"

You turn your head to the voice of the person whom had said this; trying to take a good look at his figure. He had shoulder length, black hair and grey eyes. By glancing at his figure, you could tell that he was one to keep in shape. But there was one thing that had caught you off guard. He looked as if he were in his early twenties. That could not be the case though. Maybe he was just a younger blooking/b man, who was in his mid-thirties.

"Ian!"

_'Ian? So that's his name. Very fitting. . .in a way.'_

"So I take it that your her father?" You give him a questionable look while waiting for an answer.

"No way! I'm her brother. So tell me, who are you and how do you know my sister?" He says; curiousity shining in his eyes.

"Oh. . .well I was told that her father was to pick her up as soon as she arrived here; but here, I see you."

"Yes well, that actually did happen, but since it took the plane a good extra bfive hours/b arrive; he was called away for a meeting during that time. So he sent me to come instead; so here I am."

"Wait, did you just say **Five Hours!**"

"Yes, your flight was late in arriving here; is there a problem." There was a hint of amusement playing in his eyes as he spoke. "Is there a problem."

You sign while looking at him. It was quite obvious that he liked the way your face appeared to be: nervousness, excited, and defeated. "No. . .there's no problem. I am just a bit shocked, is all."

"Hmm. . .alright; believe you."

He stands there, staring at you, trying to figure out whether or not to believe you. It was not until he had heard someone announce the arrival of the next plane, that he stopped trying to figure you out.

"Well I guess that I should be off. I really need to find a hotel to settle in before I take in every bit of this city." With that said, you began to walk off into the distance, towards the exit. But before you had the chance to even take one step out into the world; there was a hand placed on your shoulder.

Turning around, you come face to face with Ian once more. "You wouldn't happen to need a ride, would you not?"

"Umm. . .actually, that might be nice, but I think that I would like to experience this city by myself; no offense. It was a kind gesture, and I thank you for that. But I would have to decline." You say with a smile.

"Well it was worth a shot." He shrugs while grinning a bit.

"Yes, I guess that it was." You say while continuing to walk out of the airport.

"Hey wait, you didn't even give me your name!" His voice echoed throughout the entire place as he tried to get a plausable answer out of you.

Without even turning around to face him; you create a gesture with your right hand as you told him your answer. "It's Joey."

Finally, you had made your way out of the airport and into this new city. It felt so invigorating. The air was quite different than what you were used to. Instead of catching a gentle breeze full of the scent of salt water; you smelled a mixture of exaust and different types of flowers. You glanced around your new surroundings; taking in everything that you could. You may very well be staying here for a year, but that did not mean that you were going to let every opportunity pass you by. After all, this is how you got here.

Taking out the map of the city that was given to you by your counselor; you try your best to locate the hotel that he had suggested that you stay in. You could have stayed at one of the apartments that were located near the school, but you had decided that living in a hotel for the time being would be better for you. After a good ten minutes, you had finally located the street in which the hotel was on. At first you had thought that you might need a cab there, but by looking at the street address; it appeared that the hotel was within walking distance.

Within a few minutes, you arrive at the hotel building. It appeared to be very quite elegant, but not over the top. As you grab your luggage and enter the revolving doors, you took in every once of the place. The staircase, marble floors, and even the suits and outfits that the residents were wearing. Every person seemed to be either working or leaving for work, but never the less, you decided to mind your own business, for now and see if there are any rooms in which you might occupy.

Ringing the minature golden bell that lie on the cherrywood desk, you wait for someone to pop up and arrange a room for you to stay in. A few seconds later, that is exactly what happened. A middle aged man appeared out of no where and began grinning at you like there was no tomorrow. "Umm. . .hello, I am here to request a room for my stay here." Speaking nervously, you had began to feel a bit off just standing there as he continued to grin at you.

"Why yes! I would just need to have your full name, a form of ID, and a credit card miss."

_'Credit card? You have got to be kidding me. This place doesn't take regular cash or checks?!'_

"Just kidding, cash would be fine." He says above a light chuckle.

Your face had automatically slumped. That was not funny, not by a long shot. If it were true what he had said; then you would not be able to stay here. Then this entire trip would be ruined greatly.

"Uh huh." you pull out everything that would be needed and hand it over to him, other than the money since the amount needed was not given to you yet. It took quite a bit of time before he could provide a room for you.

"Ah, here we go! Miss Anata." He speaks while gathering up up your information and handing it back to you. After that is done, he turns around only to hand you a a key. "Here is your key Miss Anata; I hope that your stay here is a pleasant one." With a smile, he hands over your items and returns to his work.

"Wait, I didn't reserve a room here nor did I already pay. For one, I barely even know where **here** is." You speak, with a puzzled look on your face. It was true, you had not reserved this room, nor did you know where this place was at first. But after a while of thinking, it finally hit you. The only person who would have done this would have been your counselor.

_'Why that little sneak; I should have known that he was going to do something like this.'_

"If what you are saying is correct then I would have to delete your reservation, Miss Anata. Just wait over there, and I will have this problem fixed in no time."

"Uh. . .no that's alright!" You nearly yell. "The information that you have within your computer is correct, I am Joey Anata. It just seems that I forgot that I had reserved a room here."

He merely glances at you with a confused look, but ends up letting it go. Within seconds, you manage to get from the desk to the elevator before he decides to have the reservation checked, once more. You take the elevator to the fourth floor and then walk a few steps to twenty-seventh door. Gently sliding the key into the slot, you open the door without any hesitation, and what you see seemed to shock you a bit. It seems that your counselor had decided to make an upgrade, an upgrade to one of the finest rooms in the hotel. "Well I guess that I can't complain now; there is no way that I am giving this room up." You say while setting down your luggage; a smile on your face.

You knew that it would take a good while before you would actually be able to unload everything, frankly, you did not want to do so right now. So like the girl that you were, you were going to leave everything the way that it was and try to explore a bit of the city before sunset. With only a camera map, and a purse, you left the hotel in search of a good place to observe and take some good images of. Upon leaving, you felt a serene peace just outside of the building even though you were near the traffic and bustling people. Just watching everyone go about their own business, gave you the idea of taking an photo of their life. Even the simplest image of a person talking on a cell phone was one in which that could speak a thousand words. So with out their knowledge, you took a few good shots of everyone that seemed to interest you, young and old alike.

After a few good shots of the people near, you had decided to find a park or some place that would be better suited for taking photos. The map was no good to you, so instead of trying to figure things out; you wandered the city. Within fifteen minutes, you arrived at a very beautiful scenary. It was no park, but it did have many of the things in which you might find there: trees, flowers, and a small pond full of fish. It was the most wonderful scene that you have seen in a while. Even back at home, it was nothing compared to this. It was true that you lived near the water, but to view it everyday was something that could begin to bore someone. There were children walking near the pond, feeding the fish with different types of food. Even some adults joined in on the little event. This site was just to good to be true. So without much hesitation, you focused your lense on the site and with a quick snap; the image was taken. You were begining to walk back near the spot that you were standing in which was near a small wooden bench, that is until you heard _'It'_, the noise that would have been better off not known by you. Seconds after hearing that noise, you felt yourself falling in with the fishes into their little underwater world. A bit dazed and confused, you had not noticed the crowd that had begun to gather around your soaken form.


End file.
